Tim Burton and Paul Reubens brought on Danny Elfman as composer after Burton had attended concerts by Oingo Boingo, of which Elfman was lead singer and songwriter. Elfman was originally apprehensive, having no formal music training, but he was assisted by Boingo guitarist [?] Steve Bartek as orchestrator. Elfman later said that hearing his music performed by an orchestra for the first time was one of the most thrilling experiences of his life.

Paul Reubens mentions on the commentary that during the scene in the movie where he is wheeled out of the bike shop on a gurney, Elizabeth Daily's face went completely white. After filming the scene, he asked her what was wrong... apparently she was having flashbacks of her boyfriend [?] Jon-Erik Hexum being wheeled off of a movie set on a gurney. (He accidentally shot himself whilst filming the pilot episode of [Cover Up]).

Many of the actors in this film also appeared with Paul Reubens in [Pee-Wee's Playhouse], albeit in very different roles from the ones they play here.

When Pee-wee weighs in at the beginning of the movie, we see that he is in fact a 98 pound weakling.